Maxence Laplante (SKEMA 2014) presents "Les Marmots", a platform selling eco-friendly products for kids

A SKEMA alumnus of the Class of 2014, Maxence Laplante has co-founded a responsible web platform called "Les Marmots" that caters to children. He tells us about his journey in this interview.

Maxence, tell us about your background. How did your career start once you’d graduated from SKEMA?

After graduating with a Master’s in Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Nice, I returned to my home city of Lille. I worked for nearly four years as a business developer for Kavik, a company selling innovative products for the building industry. I then gave it all up to travel around the world for a year on my own, which did me a world of good. When I got back, I had the opportunity to go into business with a childhood friend (Martin Duretz) who was planning to set up Les Marmots, so I dived right in.

What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

I’d always wanted to go into business, to find or develop an idea. During my internships I got the chance to work with startups. That’s what inspired me to do a Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which confirmed my desire to be an entrepreneur.

When and how did the idea of the “Les Marmots” web platform come about?

Les Marmots is a project that took shape in late 2018 in Lille, on Martin’s initiative. As the father of a three-year-old girl, he noticed that there is a huge and complex offering in the children’s market, more often than not organised into silos, and more focused on the product than the need.

What is the concept behind this platform? What are its benefits?

We describe ourselves as a curator of offerings in the children’s segment. Our ambition is to gather all the players in the children’s market on a single platform and cover all product categories. Les Marmots is a marketplace selling a range of eco-friendly products for children.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far?

Getting funding is a long and difficult process. Everyone goes through it; there are a lot of organisations out there that can help, but you have to know about them. You can face rejection and a lot of disappointment; you have to know how to bounce back.

What are your prospects for the future?

As I was saying earlier, we want to raise capital for 2021. To develop the concept as much as possible. In 2020 we also created the brand "Les Drôles de Bouilles" by partnering with a SKEMA alumnus (Thibault Bale, Class of 2011), to market an innovative concept called “the Coloritable”. It’s a table children can colour in over and over again. This is helping us to develop our own brand on Les Marmots.

What has your SKEMA education brought you?

My SKEMA education taught me to seize opportunities. When I was getting started in entrepreneurship, I pulled out my master’s coursework to have a better approach overall.

How could SKEMA’s alumni network help you develop “Les Marmots”?

I haven’t turned to the alumni network much so far. That was a mistake. I think the network can give our concept visibility and credibility. Because all publicity is positive, mass sharing can help us move forward in the right direction. Among our alumni, there are also people working in our sector who can help us grow.

What advice would you give our students or recent graduates who want to go into business for themselves?

Take risks! Go for it!

Read his interview in the French magazine Challenges from April 2020.

Contact: Maxence Laplante, co-founder of Les Marmots & Les Drôles de Bouilles